26 Tate Stories from A to Z
by Tempest Wolfe
Summary: A collection of Tate stories. Some are sad, some are sweet and some are a mix of both.
1. Always and Forever

I lay a bouquet of flowers on the passenger seat of my car, from her favorite shop. Red and Tea colored Roses, mixed with Rue. I hope she likes them; it took me a long time to pick out the right ones. A while ago, I checked her phone and trash to find her favorite flower shop, and never forgot.

 _"Tony! Did you go through my trash again?" she yells, furious_

 _"What? No! Of course not!" I weakly disagree_

 _"Yes you did! Why do you keep doing these childish things?"_

 _"I just wanted to know where your favorite flower shop was!" I answer, gesturing to the Bouquet of Lilies on her desk._

 _She looks at it, then back at me._

 _"Fine. Don't do it again." She sighs_

 _I don't miss how she hides her smile as she smells the lilies._

I get out of my car and ignore the way my expensive shoes get soaked in the dewy morning grass. I walk around my car and open the passenger door, rescuing the flowers before I shut the door and lock the car.

As I start the trek across the grass, I catch sight of a garter snake sunning itself in a small sunny spot. I can't help but smile slightly, as I remember when I 'saved' Kate from a snake.

 _"I hope it's not poisonous." She moans_

 _I look at her horrified face, and decide to have a little fun._

 _"I think it is." I answer_

 _She lets out another moan. "What's it doing now."_

 _"Wrapping around your leg." I answer truthfully._

 _She squeals, and continues looking away._

 _"I'm going to get it off. No sudden moves, okay Kate? They do this on Discovery Channel all the time."_

 _After another moment of me trying to remove the snake, she whips out her gun_

 _"Move! I'm just going to shoot it!"_

 _"Hey! Put that away! You're going to shoot your foot off!" I argue._

 _As I'm still removing the snake, she mutters_

 _"My life in your hands, I always knew it would end this way!"_

 _Another moment, and I got it off, holding its head to show her._

 _"Is all forgiven?" I say, looking at the snake and back at her._

 _"You do have your moments." She answers, a brief smile flashing across her face._

I chuckle slightly as I continue walking, the snake slithered away as the sun disappeared behind the rapidly accumulating clouds. I take a deep breath as I weave through the small pathways. Muscle memory takes over, just as it has for every May 24th. I wander for a few minutes more as the air becomes heavy with moisture, not quite ready to become rain. I finally stop, where I always do, right before I get there.

I look down and tears fill my eyes as I stare at the stone in front of me.

 **Here Lies Caitlin Todd**

 **Best Sister, Daughter, Friend, and Agent**

 **Died Protecting Her Country**

 **Receiver of the Presidential Medal of Freedom  
May She Rest In Peace, Always and Forever **

I drop to my knees in front of it, ignoring the mud that will surely stain my suit. I place the flowers on the ground against her grave. I lean forward and placing my head against the stone, which is cold and unforgiving so like the bullet that took her.

My tears drip down my cheeks as rain begins to fall, slowly at first, but then heavily, as choking sobs are ripped out of my chest, my fingers running rivet along the words, the rock, that is all I have left of her.

Despite my suit sticking to me, soaked through, my lips, cold, as the rain and tears mix dripping off them, I manage to speak.

"I'm sorry Katie. I'm so, so sorry. I should've protected you and I should have saved you. I should have told you, but I never had the courage, and now, it's too late. I love you, Katie, I love you and I have loved you since the moment I met you on Air Force One. I never could tell you, so I tried being your friend, and we bickered like crazy. I only annoyed you because your angry face was so adorable. I loved every time you smirked at me when you were right or elbowed me for something I said. I love you, and I lost you and now you'll never know. I don't know If you can hear me, but I will always love you, Always and forever, and no matter what happens, I will wait forever until I can tell you that face to face again. Wait for me Katie, because I will find you. Wait for me, Katie, because I love you."

The shocking cold rips every thing else I want to say from my lips as I press them against the stone, sealing my promise.

I don't know how long I remain that way, forehead pressed against her grave, rain running through me, mud coating my palms, shoes, and knees.

Then, tentatively, I reach into my chest pocket of my jacket and pull out a photo of us. It's one from long ago, wrinkled by use and time as I watch the rain distort our smiles. I press another kiss to the image of her face, before I place it back into my jacket. I get up, numb, and stare at the flowers I picked out, just for her. Red Roses which means Love, Rue, for Regret and Tea colored roses, which mean I will remember always, which I will. I will remember and love her always and forever.


	2. Baby Makes Three

I ran in, half panicking and half terrified. I nearly run into Abby as I do, but she stops me, and attempts to calm me down.

"I promised her I wouldn't miss it!" I say

"You were undercover." McGee says, immediately, trying to persuade me that it's not my fault I'm late.

"I knew I should've let you do it! What was I thinking! I'm family first!" I cry, now starting to hyperventilate

"Everything works out Tony! Just look at me and Tim. This was meant to be" Abby reassures me, before I leave them and continue down the hall

I catch sight of Kate's doctor, and call out to him.

"Oh! Wow! Agent Dinozzo! Glad to see you made it." He says, shaking my hand, but I am not in the mood for small talk

"Is everything okay?" I demand

"See for yourself." He smiles, opening the door next to us

I walk in and see Kate in bed, looking exhausted.

"Hey Kate! I'm sorry I wasn't here. You know, drug busts never go according to plan…" I am quickly seeing this isn't consoling her as her eyes become even more furious. "Oh Boy." I sigh

"Not exactly, Agent Dinozzo." Says the doctor, gesturing to the side, where tiny, pink, dark-haired little bundle sits wrapped.

A nurse picks it up and hands it to me.

"Congratulations, Agent Dinozzo. You're a father to a beautiful little girl." The Doctor says

I stare down at my daughter's perfect little face, in awe. I look up at Kate, who has tears in her eyes.

"Nice job Kate!" I say, looking back down at our daughter

I then walk over and give her a kiss, before we both look down at our daughter, amazed we created such a beautiful creature.

"Aww," sighs Abby from the doorway.

I look up to see Ducky, Gibbs, Abby and McGee all crowding the doorway.

"Come on in guys." Invites the doctor, "We'll leave you all alone."

He and the nurse leave as everyone coos over my daughter.

"What are you two going to call her?" asks McGee,

Kate looks nervously at me, and then Gibbs "Well, we were thinking of naming her after you, Gibbs and Abby.

Gibbs eyes widen, while Abby squeals with joy.

"With your permission, of course Gibbs." I hastily say, "We'd like to name our daughter Kelly Abigail Dinozzo."

Abby bursts into tears, a smile on her face, and McGee gives her a hug, while Gibbs remains motionless. A moment passes, and tears fill his eyes.

"Of course." Gibbs says. His voice is gruff as he tries to mask his emotion.

"Would you like to hold your God daughter Gibbs?" Offers Kate, holding Kelly out.

Silently, Gibbs takes her and looks down at her in joy, a single tear dripping down his cheek

"She's beautiful." He whispers, then, as if talking to her, he says, "Aren't you beautiful, Kels?"

She fusses slightly, but like an expert he quickly settles her down.

A few hours later, the team has left and Kate, Kelly and I are all in the hospital bed together. Kate has dozed off, her head on my chest, and Kelly is asleep on Kate's chest.

I smile as I look down at my two beautiful girls, and silently vow to always protect my happy little family of three.


	3. Christmas Present

I yawn as I open my eyes, feeling calm and rested. I roll over and smile at Tony's sleeping form. Rolling over again, I glance at our window, through the shades and I notice how light it is for being 6:00, which is the time my alarm should go off.

Then I realize I didn't hear my alarm when I woke up.

I look at the clock to see it reads 10:45.

"Shit!" I shriek, leaping out of bed and running over to my dresser, frantically grabbing jeans and a sweater.

"What's wrong?" Tony asks his voice slurred by sleep.

"My alarm didn't go off!" I groan, yanking on my sweater.

"Okay. So?" mumbles Tony

"So!? So!? Tomorrow is our first Christmas married Tony! It has to be perfect!" I explain, as I run a brush through my hair before I hurry downstairs to grab a bit of breakfast before I was supposed to go to the supermarket and get the ingredients for tomorrow's Christmas dinner, so they would be fresh.

I grab a protein bar and throw on my winter boots and jackets before running out into the snow, only to find we've had more snow overnight and the car is coated in snow, not to mention, snowed in.

I hurry back inside and grab the snowbrush, a shovel and start shoving snow off the car. Twenty minutes later, Tony appears in the doorway, in nothing but boxers and a toothbrush sticking out of his mouth.

"Can you please preheat one of the ovens for the ham and use the other oven to get started on the Christmas cookies? The recipe book is already on the table and I've marked the difference between the tablespoon and the teaspoon, as well as labeled all the cooking utensils like a whisk for you. The Gingerbread dough is in the fridge and ready to go as well. I made it yesterday." I order him. He turns around and walks back inside, yelling over his shoulder "Sure, Katie. I'm on it."

I continue shoving snow off my car, and moving it into large piles on the side of the road.

I finish ten minutes later and get in the car, and drive off.

When I get to the market I have to battle for a parking space it's so packed. Once I finally win against a maroon minivan, I pull in and hurry into the crowded store. Naturally, it's war between all the men and women to get what they need. I managed to snag the ham when one woman didn't see it behind the toilet paper, and I fought this other guy over potatoes, and it only took me nearly breaking his hand to get them. There were these two athletic women who I had an argument with over who got to the gravy cubes first, and who got the best brand. It took me nearly an hour to find the corn on the cob because people were buying it as fast as the store could stock it. I finally got my hands on it, and went to check out. Naturally, the check out line is twenty people long at every station. It takes nearly an hour and a half to check out and once I do, I head outside and take a deep breath. It's nearly 2:30 when I head out to the car. I unload all of the groceries and get into the front seat, ready to be warm and back at home. I turn the key in the engine and nothing happens. I try again, and it won't start.

I press my forehead to the front wheel in defeat. I wanted this first Christmas to be perfect, especially since I have the perfect Christmas present for Tony.

Taking a deep breath, I pull out my phone and call Tony.

"Tony." I say into the phone when he picks up.

"Yes, Katie?" he says " I'll have you know I finished all of the cutesy little ginger bread men and yes I made sure their scarves were red not green, and the eyes white not cream. I also did the little flower cookies with the cherry in the middle. We should use that cookie gun on the bad guys and see what they think of that. The last batch of those are in the oven, and I am making the dough for the peanut butter-"

"The car wont start, will you call a tow truck and then come pick me up?" I sigh into the phone.

"Oh, that's not good." He says, totally calmly, and I snap for a moment

"Ya think Dinozzo!" I yell into the phone,

"I'm on my way, Katie." He answers, before he hangs up

He arrives fifteen minutes later, with three gingerbread men in hand and offers one to me. I can't help but smile at his gesture to try and make me feel better. When we finish the delicious cookies, Tony and I transfer all of the groceries to his car.

"If you want, Katie, I'll wait for the tow truck. I know how busy you are and how much you have to do. Take my car home and get started." Tony offers, kindly

"Thank you, Tony." I answer, gratefully, giving him a quick kiss before I hop in his car and drive home.

I unload all the groceries and put away the food I don't need right now. I go to open one of the ovens, only to find he left the last batch of spritz in while coming to my rescue, and in opening the oven, smoke billowed out and set off the smoke alarm. After turning off the alarm and reassuring the fire department that everything is fine, I clean up the cookie mess, which was black burnt and had taken it upon itself to stick firmly to the pan. After I finish all of that, and open a bunch of windows so I can get rid of the smoke smell, I get started on tomorrow's dinner. I quickly realize I bought the wrong kind of ham. Ignoring that fact, I threw it in the oven anyway and started on the gravy. When Tony got home, almost three hours later because the tow truck had lost our car, and Tony required it found. After it was required, Tony had it fixed and drove it home.

"Tony! Could you continue with the cookies?" I ask, as I continue stirring the gravy.

"Sure Katie."

"You know you left the last batch of Spritz in the oven and they burned."

His face is nothing but dismay "I'm so sorry Katie. I didn't mean to!" he apologizes instantly

"It's okay. Just keep a closer eye on them next time." I answer

So we work and work and work, and it's nearly eight by the time we finish the cookies and prepping for tomorrow's dinner. Now, Tony is watering our tree. We'll decorate it tomorrow, which is a tradition I've done since I was a little girl.

"Tony! Will you help me clean this up?" I sigh as I look at the disaster of a kitchen.

"Sure! Just let me finish watering the-"

With a heart wrenching crunch, and thud, I hear the Christmas tree fall over in the living room.

I burst into tears, unable to contain my dismay any longer.

Tony immediately comes in and gives me a hug.

I cry into his shoulder as he strokes my hair.

"It's Okay Katie. Our Christmas doesn't have to be perfect." He reassures me

"B-but it should!" I cry "I need to be able to do this right!"

"What if I like it this way?" Asks Tony "Plus, why don't we spend Christmas Eve, right here together. We can watch a Christmas movie marathon and make Hot Cocoa and as long as I have you, I am sure this is a perfect Christmas."

"Really?" I ask sniffling as I look up at him.

"Really." He says, before taking my hand and leading me up to our bedroom where we start watching Christmas movies, starting with A Christmas Carol. Somewhere around Rudolph finding the land of misfit toys, I fall asleep.

 **Christmas Morning**

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Crows Tony joyfully "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"  
I grin as I open my eyes to see Tony, looking very much like a child, bouncing on his toes.

I get up and he promptly scoops me off my feet and carries me downstairs and into our kitchen, see he's cleaned up the huge mess from last night. He continues carrying me into the living room, where I see he's made it perfect again. He's fixed the tree, and strung the lights in it, but the boxes of ornaments remain. We placed our presents all over the place. Mistletoe and Holly, and lights are everywhere. Softly, Christmas music is playing in the background. I lean over and kiss him, as he sets me down in our magical Christmas living room.

"Thank you." I whisper against his lips.

"No problem." He whispers back

We start opening our gifts, and soon wrapping paper is everywhere. Laughter brings tears to our eyes when we see my Mom has made us these heinous Christmas sweaters. We groan as Tony's Dad gives us a bottle of bourbon – like father like son. Gibbs has made us a set of rocking chairs for our front porch. McGee and Abby give us each new IPods, Ducky gives us a _his_ and _hers_ coffee cups. Tony gives me a small silver locket with our photo in it.

With a secretive grin, I grab the very last present, a perfect gift of mine to him.

"Tony, here this is a gift from me."

"You already gave me a gift, Katie, and I love my new mobile movie trivia game!"

"I know, but I think you'll love this more." I whisper, handing it to him.

He opens it and pulls out a tiny rattle.

He looks at it in confusion for a few seconds before his eyes widen and he looks at my face, at my stomach, then back to my face.

"Kate! Are you…?" he trails off

"Next Christmas we'll have a little Dinozzo to celebrate it with." I grin and he grabs me around the waist, pulls me to him and gives me a fierce kiss.

Then he kneels down and kisses my currently flat stomach several times, making me laugh.

Somehow, this has become a perfect Christmas despite all of the challenges.


	4. Daddy's Girl

"Tony! It's only three days, I'm sure you can handle Kels." Kate says, firmly as I hold our Four-year-old daughter in my arms and Kate is loading up her car full of her suitcases. "I'll be back from Spain, and the case done, before you know it." She continues, shutting the trunk and turning back to me. I give her a kiss, and hand her Kelly. She kisses Kelly's face causing Kelly to giggle before clinging tightly to our daughter.

"Bye Mommy." Kelly says, sweetly

"Bye Baby. Mommy will be home as soon as she can, but until then, you and Daddy are going to get to have some fun time together, Okay?" She croons to Kelly, before handing her back to me. I give Kate one last hug.

"Take care." I whisper

"I will." She whispers back, giving Kelly and I one last kiss each, before getting in the car and driving off.

Kelly starts to sob the minute Kate's car vanishes around the corner.

"It's okay Kell-Belle. Now we get to spend some time together." I say, excitedly to her. Bouncing her on my hip as I try to make her beautiful smile come out again.

She still looks at me tearfully as I shut the door behind me and walk into the living room. Her eyes are the same color as her Mom's and seeing them filled with tears breaks my heart

"What do you want to do today?" I ask her, and she pauses for a moment, before her perfect little toothy smile appears

"Cookies!" She says, firmly "Make Cookies."

"Cookies it is." I agree, carrying her into the kitchen, where I sit her down on the table.

"What type of cookies, Kell-Belle?" I ask her

"Chip! Cho-cho-" She fumbles the word chocolate, so I give her a hand

"Chocolate Chip?"

"Yes!" She squeals happily,

"Chocolate. My kinda girl." I smile, and she gives me a high five

"Music?" I ask her, before I begin pulling out all the ingredients

"Yes! Disney!" she shrieks, clapping her hands together.

I grab my phone and plug it into the speaker. Then I press play on the 'Disney Shuffle Mix' Kate and I made Kelly a long time ago.

" _Strangers Like Me_ " from Tarzan begins to play immediately

I turn up the volume and start putting all the ingredients on the table. Then, I tug Kelly off the table.

"Kell-Belle, will you go get our aprons? I'm going to find you a hairband." I ask her, and she races off to the pantry.

I find an extra hairband in Kate's desk drawer, and return to the kitchen, where Kelly is standing, holding our aprons.

I help her tie hers on, an apron designed to look like the dress of Kelly's favorite Disney character, Belle. I pull mine on, an apron with the Beast on it.

"Daddy! You're the beast!" She giggles.

"I am!" I growl "Roar!" She shrieks with laughter as I chase her around the kitchen table, before I finally catch her, swinging her up in the air, as she laughs.

"Cookie Time, Beast!" She commands, so like her mother.

"One minute Princess. We need to tie up this pretty hair of yours." I answer, pulling her thick dark brown hair into a braid, and tying it with the hairband.

"Ready yet Beast?" giggles Kelly  
"Absolutely Princess! Let's make the best cookies ever!" I chuckle as I scoop her up and place her on the table beside the bowls.

We add the butter and sugar, stirring and stirring, her tiny hands under mine, as she laughs. We crack the eggs together and measure vanilla. We level the flour, getting it everywhere in the process, and we pour in the salt and baking soda.

"Time to make everything come together, Beast!" Yells Kelly, as her second favorite part comes up, mixing the wetter batter with the flour batter.

With a cloud of flour puffing up everywhere, she dumps the flour bowl into the butter and sugar bowl.

Grabbing a spoon, we mix it all together.

"Chips!" Smiles Kelly as I bring out the bag of chocolate chips, her favorite part. Per tradition, I open the new bag and we each remove one chocolate chip. We hold it out on our palms and each the chip out of each other's palm. A smile spreads across her face as she tastes the sweet chocolate.

"Together, Princess?" I ask, offering the bag of chocolates to her.

"Yes!" she answers, and we take the bag together before pouring its entire contents into the bowl.

Together, we stir the dough until the chocolates are well mixed in.

Then, I offer her a little spoonful of the dough and I eat one myself.

"Perfect!" she giggles, reaching for another bite.

"Not so fast, princess!" I laugh, tugging the bowl away "We need to bake some."

Using cookie scoopers we make little dollops along four trays and place them in the ovens.

"Now we need to clean up." I explain, gesturing to the egg-coated, flour-covered, dough-patched, chocolate-smeared kitchen.

Kelly pouts at the mention of the word "Clean"

"How about we play a game while we clean?" I suggest.

Kelly's face lights up at the word "game"

"Okay." She nods, like a bobble head, a few strands of her braid coming out and falling along her cheek.

I go over to my phone, which is playing " _Just Can't Wait to Be King_." From The Lion King

I change it to one of her favorite songs, " _In Summer_ " From Frozen, while Kristof is talking, I grab a dirty spoon, and use it as a microphone and I start singing as my daughter squeals with laughter.

 _"Bees'll buzz, kids'll blow dandelion fuzz_

 _And I'll be doing whatever snow does_

 _In summer"_

I grab some of dirty dishes and put them in the sink, Kelly doing the same as she sings, a smaller spoon in her hand.

" _A drink in my hand, my snow up against the burning sand_

 _Prob'ly getting gorgeously tanned_

 _In summer"_

I start soaking all the dishes, and wet two paper towels to wipe the table. I hand one to Kelly, and we start wiping the dirt, singing together, grins on our faces

 _"I'll finally see a summer breeze blow away a winter storm_

 _And find out what happens to solid water when it gets warm_

 _And I can't wait to see what my buddies all think of me_

 _Just imagine how much cooler I'll be_

 _In summer"_

I start dancing with her as we use towels to mop the floor, under our feet, in a slippery tango

 _"Da da, da doo, ah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, boo_

 _The hot and the cold are both so intense_

 _Put 'em together, it just makes sense_

 _Ratdadat, dadadadoo"_

I spin her, and we put the towels in the trash, before starting to put the dishes in the dishwasher.

 _"Winter's a good time to stay in and cuddle_

 _But put me in summer and I'll be a-"_

I pause as she shrieks _"happy snowman!"_

 _"When life gets rough I like to hold onto my dreams_

 _Of relaxing in the summer sun, just letting off steam"_

We finish the dishes and start drying the sink

 _"Oh, the sky will be blue, and you guys'll be there too"_

 _When I finally do what frozen things do in summer!"_

"I'm going to tell him." I admit, playfully to my daughter

"Don't you dare!" She gasps with false disapproval

I scoop her up around the waist and for the last part of the song as we sing in union, I twirl her around in the air.

 _"In summer!"_

She's breathless with laughter as I set her back on her feet, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Now it's time to clean you up, Princess." I laugh, taking her flour-covered apron off and mine, and tossing them in the laundry bin.

"More songs Daddy!" squeals Kelly, wriggling away from me and the sink that I was washing her hands in.

"How about we do something special?" I offer, and she nods

"Go and find a pair of socks, okay, Princess?" I ask, and she runs off

I quickly move the couch in the living room to a side wall, and move the carpet and coffee table, revealing a wide open wood floor.

I take off my shoes, and Kelly runs downstairs in socks.

"Let's Dance." I say, gesturing to our makeshift dance floor.

"Perfect Daddy!" She giggles

"What song?" I chuckle, walking back over to my phone.

" _Be Our Guest_!" she answers, excited

"Coming up!" I answer

I press play and the song blasts to her joy.

I sing to her, along with the song, as we spin and dance and slide in our socks across the wood floor. We dance through many songs, some of the highlights being " _Upendi"_ from Lion King 2, " _Something There"_ from Beauty and the Beast, " _I'll Make a Man Out of You"_ from Mulan and _"I've Got a Dream"_ from Tangled.

"Cookies are done!" Yells Kelly, her palms and nose pressed against the glass of the oven.

I hurry in and make sure she stands away from the oven as I pull out the four trays of cookies.

I carefully take them off the pan and put them on the cooling rack, letting the pans cool in the sink.

"Can we try yet Daddy?" begs Kelly, using the same face her mother does whenever she wants me to do something for her, and I can't resist.

"Only one before dinner, Princess." I answer, picking up one of the biggest and handing it to her, before grabbing one myself. It's really warm and chocolatey and soon, both of us have chocolate all over our faces and hands.

I lean down and I'm about to scoop her up to wash her off, when she kisses the side of my mouth, giggling as the chocolate on my face ends up on her lips.

"You have chocolate on your face Daddy." She laughs

"So do you, Princess." I laugh, kissing her all over her face. "Here. And Here. A spot here. Over here too."

She is shrieking with laughter as I do

Before I know it, she wraps her chocolatey arms around me and gives me a hug, and despite the fact Kate is going to hate getting chocolate out of Kelly's shirt, I wrap my arms around Kelly too.

"Love you, Daddy." She whispers

"Love you too, Princess." I whisper back, kissing her forehead and leaving a chocolate print.

She may look like Kate, but Kelly is a Daddy's girl.


	5. Echoes

I wake up, and for three seconds, I don't remember what day it is. Three seconds of peace. Three seconds. That's all it takes. Before it comes crashing back. My mind is fuzzy, and I know already I'm late to work.

I stumble from bed, and throw on a suit and tie, manage to brush my hair. On the way to work I pick up a coffee, and don't bother with my sugar or cream. I need the bitterness in the back of my throat, to help me focus, to help me breathe.

I get off the elevator, and head numbly to my desk.

As I catch sight of her desk, I am thrown into a memory

 _"3:00 in the morning you hear a strange noise in your house. What do you do?" I ask, following her_

 _"Slide my pistol out from under my pillow, and go after the guy." She smirks_

 _"I'm talking about real people Kate. Why do they always feel the need to go and look?"_

 _" It's called human nature, Tony." She answers, condescendingly_

 _"Ah, let me guess. You're the person in a horror movie who decides that since all of her friends are dead, she really need to go check out the demonic breathing noise in the basement." I chuckle, and she gives a mirthless laugh_

 _"Beats being the girl who twists her ankle and gets everybody else killed." She retorts_

 _"You sleep with a gun under your pillow every night?" I change the subject._

 _"Depends." She answers, mysteriously_

 _"On what?" I ask_

 _"On who I'm sleepin' with." She answers, somewhat lecherously, only to run into-_

I run right into Gibbs as I enter the bullpen.

He looks at me a moment, and smacks the back of my head.

"You're late."

"Sorry Boss." I answer.

"Grab your gear. We got a dead Petty Officer." He orders, and only then do I notice Bishop and McGee are already in the elevator.

I hurry, grabbing my stuff and meet them in the elevator. We get in the car, and another memory resurfaces.

 _"Ugh." She mumbles, breathing heavily, as she wipes a clear view through the frost-covered glass of the front windshield. She turns and looks at me._

 _"Wake up." She smacks my side._

 _"I am awake." I answer, my voice low._

 _"Could you turn the heat up? Please? I'm freezing." She says, her voice shaking with cold._

 _"Can't. Smoke from the tailpipe will give away our position." I answer, monotone._

 _"Great. Can't feel my legs, here." She mutters._

 _A small smirk makes its way across my face._

 _"We could do what the Eskimos do to keep warm." I suggest, sitting up._

 _She looks at me, interested._

 _"They press their bodies together." I start, using my hands as a demonstration, pressing my palms together. I lean closer to her, and see my smirk mirrored on her face._

 _"Of course, the effect is greatly improved if you're…naked." I whisper_

 _" There's not enough liqueur on the planet to make that happen Tony." She answers, grinning in triumph_

 _"I wasn't suggesting the naked part." I backtrack, as I place my hand on her shoulder. "But if you want to freeze." I smirk "Freeze."_

 _She actually looks like she's considering it for a moment, before she shakes herself and says "Ugh I need a vacation."_

 _I chuckle, laying back down. "Where would you go?"_

 _"Someplace warm." She sighs "Someplace where there's no cellphone reception."_

 _"The Tropics." I imagine_

 _"The tropics would be nice." She smirks._

"Tony!" A loud yell jolts me out of my memory. I look up to see everyone is out of the car, and working the scene. Bishop stands over me, in confusion and exasperation. "Come on. You okay?" she asks

I nod, grabbing my bag and getting out of the car. We walk over to where Ducky is rummaging through the trash.

"What d'ya got Duck?" Gibbs asks

"A left arm, a head, a right leg and the upper part of a torso. Mr. Palmer is helping me search for the rest of our dear Petty Officer."

"He's in the trash?" Bishop double-checks in distaste.

"It appears so." Ducky answers, almost apologetically.

"Dinozzo. Help Ducky and Palmer. McGee. Measurements. Bishop Pictures." Orders Gibbs.

I walk around, searching the ally for any more body parts, when I find a left leg. It has a tattoo on the ankle, and I sink into another memory.

 _"I don't get the whole tattoo thing." I say, examining the tattoo on the leg we were photographing._

 _"I'll add that to the ever-growing list of things you don't get." She answers, cheekily._

 _"Being stuck with a needle thousands of times for artwork? No thank you." I shudder_

 _"It's more than just artwork, Tony." She answers_

 _"On a woman, maybe." I sigh as I continue taking pictures._

 _"What?" She asks, her feathers ruffled by my "Chauvinistic" comment_

 _"You know, on a woman. It means she's up for anything." I explain_

 _"Abby's got tattoos." She retorts, and I chuckle_

 _"No comment."_

 _"What about me? Do you think I'm up for anything?" she questions_

 _and I laugh_

 _"You don't have a tat." This has to be a bluff. Not a chance that my good-girl partner would EVER have a tat._

 _"And if I did, that would throw your theory to hell now wouldn't it?" she smirks, and the smile is wiped off my face, because I don't know if she's telling the truth or not._

 _"Okay. Say for a minute I believed you got one. Where is it?"_

 _She looks up at me, triumphantly._

 _"Nowhere you will ever see."_

"Tony! Were you going to tell us you found the missing leg? Or continue to stare at it as if it was the car from Magnum PI?" Demands McGee, storming over.

I shake the memory away, and continue working.

We wrap up the crime scene and head back to NCIS. I remain silent until Gibbs orders McGee and I to search the victim's house.

We head over, in silence, and McGee does all the talking with the wife, showing her the warrant and everything.

We are checking the house for suspicious items, when I stumble into the guest bathroom, and freeze as I hear her singing.

 _"Sexy as I wanna be. Got these fellas chasin' me. Let's go with this freak show! Outrageous! When I move my body. Outrageous! When I'm at a party. Outrageous!"_

 _I sing the last Outrageous with her, toothbrush in mouth, wearing only my boxers, when she yanks the curtain back enough to poke her head out._

 _"Tony!" She scolds. "Out of here! Now!"_

 _"What? I'm just brushing my teeth." I defend._

 _She gives me a death glare._

 _"Don't use up all the hot water, because you've been in there forever." I chastise._

 _"Tony! How long have you been in here?" she demands_

 _"Long enough to know you can't sing, and you haven't shaved your legs in a week." I smirk._

 _She throws her sponge at me, hitting me in the face, and I laugh as she shuts the shower curtain._

 _"Outrageous. Rawr." I growl,_

"Tony!" I hear McGee calling, and I hurriedly leave the bathroom, to see he has the wife in cuffs. McGee frowns at me "She confessed to killing him because he abused her." He explains, and we lead her to our car.

 **Later that night**

I walk down to autopsy. And pull up a chair, opening the cell number 33. Hers. I don't know why, but I've always noticed Ducky never puts anyone else here. I sit, staring at the metal. Metal, cold and hard, and unforgiving like the bullet that stole her from me. That took her life while she stood, laughing, mere feet from me. Close enough, that I felt her blood spray on my face, as the light in her eyes died and her knees buckled and her body crumpled to the ground.

Wracking sobs escape me as I recall the powerlessness, the anger, the hatred, the regret and the love. It overpowered me, and made it impossible to breathe, to think, because she's gone. It's been ten years today, and no matter what happens, she'll never come back, and I'll never be able to tell her how much I loved her. How much I love her.

My numb fingers pull out a photo of us, and I smile at it, and I place it down on the metal, a tear of mine falling upon our smiling faces.

I hear the door to autopsy open and hear the sound of several pairs of feet behind me. I don't bother to turn, as I feel Abby wrap her arms around me, and McGee place his hand on my shoulder. I know Gibbs is here too, though he makes no movement. I hear a soft whisper from Bishop, asking what's happening, and Ducky sadly explaining the situation.

That today, May 24th, ten years ago, a brave agent and an amazing friend was taken too early from this world.

Time passes, and slowly, Bishop leaves. Ducky too. McGee comforts Abby as they leave, and it's just Gibbs and I.

"You've got to let her go, Tony." He says, his voice soft.

"I don't know how, Boss." I answer, through my tears.

Gibbs places his hand on my shoulder.

"It's not your fault, son. There's nothing you could've done. She knows that. You've got to let her be free. They'll be echoes of her, always, but cherish them don't ache because of them."

I turn to look up into the face of my boss, the wrinkles of time and wisdom on his face stretching into understanding.

His blue eyes say everything.

I stand up; place my hand on his shoulder and say

"Okay."

As I do, I can almost hear a sigh, an echo, float through the room a message from Kate.

 _I'll always be waiting, for when it's your time_


	6. First Snow

We wrapped up a case two hours ago and I am exhausted as I am trying to finish the case report. We haven't really slept in two and a half days. McGee was injured during a firefight, only a through and through, but he is at home on leave, making Tony and I remain to finish the reports.

"Kate! Tony!" Gibbs barks, and we snap into more wide-awake positions.

"Yes Boss." We chorus.

"Go home. Enjoy the Holiday Weekend. You can finish your reports on Tuesday. Get some sleep." He orders, and we look at each other in surprise.

"Are you sure boss?" Tony questions.

"Yes! Now get out of here before I change my mind!" Gibbs snaps.

Tony and I quickly clear our desks and grab our stuff. We're in the elevator ten seconds later.

"I wonder what made Gibbs so… Nice." I say, slightly baffled, but very grateful.

"I know. It's kind of weird." Tony answers. "Must be the Christmas spirit."

We both get lost in thought as we head out into the parking lot.

"Oh!" I gasp, as I notice what's around us. "It's snowing! I've always wanted a White Christmas!"

A grin breaks out on my face as I walk out in it, completely forgetting Tony is there as I twirl around in the snow, laughing. I try and catch some of the snowflakes in my mouth as I skid through the three inches of wet wonderland.

Suddenly, someone grabs my hands, making me drop my bag into the snow.

I am surprised to see Tony, and he pulls me into a waltzing pose.

"Tony? What are you-" I start asking, but he interrupts me.

 _"I'm dreaming of a White Christmas_ _,_ _just like the ones I used to know_ _where the tree tops glisten_ _,_ _and children listen_ _to hear sleigh bells in the snow…"_

He sings as he waltzes around with me. I quickly relax, sensing only fun no foul play. I am surprised, as it's out of character for Tony to be so adorable, but at the same time it's out of character for me to embrace it rather than ridicule it. I laugh as he twirls us around through the snow, before I gleefully join in singing.

 _"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas with every Christmas card I write_ _may your days be merry and bright_ _and may all your Christmases be white."_

He chuckles as we continue to spin around the parking lot, singing our Christmas carols, all exhaustion forgotten in the magic of the first snow of the season. We finish the song, and it's snowing harder, and I try not to laugh as I see the flakes stick in Tony's hair and on his eyelashes.

"Did you ever try to make snow angels or catch snowflakes in your mouth when you were younger?" I ask him and he laughs

"Of course! I love the snow! I used to go sledding and have snowball fights with the neighbors' kids, and I used to collect the snow in bowls and our maple syrup on it and eat it with a spoon. "

"Of course you did." I laugh "But I always thought snow tasted best when it was falling and you caught it on your tongue."

"Want to test that theory?" he challenges, and seconds later we're standing around, our mouths wide open and tongues sticking out as we try to catch the elusive flakes.

I laugh as we catch a few, but not quite enough to 'test our theory'.

All of a sudden, an evil idea comes to mind. I bend down, and pretend to tie my shoe, while making a snowball.

Then, while Tony is too busy trying to catch more snowflakes, I throw it at him and it hits him dead in the face.

With a shocked gasp, and then a growl, he turns and looks at me, his eyes bright with amusement and false rage.

"You'll pay for that, Katie." He snarls, kneeling down to scoop up a snowball. I run and duck behind a car, just as Tony throws it, and it hits the car instead. Making another snowball, I peek above the side of the car to throw it, only to be hit in the face with another one of Tony's. The cold is shocking to say the least and I can barely breathe, but I get up and chase Tony with my snowball, as he dodges me and ducks for cover.

I laugh aloud as he slips in the snow, and scrabbles through it trying to escape. Too late I realize he faked it, as he turns the tides, picking up a huge snowball, he begins to chase me with it. I run onto the NCIS lawn, through the snow, laughter and cold taking my breath away. I turn to surrender when Tony slams into me, snowball gone. We tumble into the snow, his body pressing mine into the snowdrift, as we howl with laughter.

He pulls himself into a push-up like position over me, and says

"You're very bad at making snow angels, Katie."

"I'd be better if you weren't on top of me." I retort in amusement.

"You know. I think you're right. December snow is sweeter than any other snow. First snows are always the sweetest."

I laugh "Thank you. I thought I'd die before you agreed with me."

"Well I disagree on one point." He adds, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Of course you do."

"I can think of one way snow would taste sweeter." He smirks from above me.

"How?" I ask, right before he presses his snow-frozen lips against mine.

Before I can resist, I realize he's right, and I wrap my arms around his neck, and we roll over so he's in the snowdrift and I'm atop him, his arms around my waist, our lips still pressed together. I feel his smile against my mouth and smile as well. First Snows are more magical than they seem. It's managed to make me do things I've always wanted to, yet never had the courage.

Though I'd never admit it, Tony was right. The snow did taste sweeter than ever.


	7. Guardian Angel

He doesn't really know I'm here. I know he feels me, but he thinks I am his imagination. He never realized what I have become. The moment I died, I became what he needed most, a Guardian Angel.

I was there when he held in his pain to help the team, to find my killer.

He jumped in front Ari's bullet to save Abby, and I deflected it from him. Ari had taken enough lives.

When Ziva arrived, and he loathed watching her sit at my old desk, I gave him the strength to accept Ziva, despite his ache for me.

When he was captured while undercover with Ziva, I protected him and showed him how to escape

Not long after he had come to accept this new family, with Ziva, I had to comfort him as Gibbs' memory loss shook the team and left him in charge

Though out his time as team leader, I gave him guidance, patience, courage and support when he struggled to lead the team in Gibbs' wake.

Later, I helped him let go of the reigns to let Gibbs take over again.  
As he stood outside of Director Shepard's door, it was I who urged him to refuse her offer to run his own team

Despite the ache in my heart, I supported him through his relationship with Jeanne and held him close as he was left heartbroken by her and grappled with the decision whether to leave NCIS or not

When the Director was killed, I helped him cope with the guilt over her loss and I gave him strength to help the team cope as well, especially poor Abby, who loves too much, and Gibbs who would never admit how much he loved Jenny.

No sooner than Vance became director, I remained beside him as Vance split the family up. I gave him sanity to help him when he was alone, but never alone, aboard the Ronald Reagan, away from his friends

After the deception of Agent Lee, I helped him trust those closest to him again.

When he battled with Ziva's boyfriend Michael, I protected him and convinced him it was the right decision Then, I helped him deal with Ziva's rejection and mistrust afterwards

I shielded him and urged him on and took him where he needed to go on his quest to find and rescue Ziva in Somalia.

I helped him accept and let go of Mike Franks' death, as well as help the team rebuild their fractured hearts.

I surrounded his heart to keep the bullet from penetrating it when he was shot on duty, and stood beside him when he couldn't remember the event.

I gave him courage when it seemed for the third time he was a murderer

I kept him locked in the elevator, with Ziva, so no shrapnel could harm him during the bombing

I stood by him as he lead the team again after Gibbs' arrest

I gave him the information he needed to find Ziva, and I healed his broken heart when she left him forever, for good.

When his father visited, I gave him patience and forgiveness and helped him face his past with his father and Baltimore

I helped him accept a new face all over again, with young, enthusiastic Ellie Bishop

I held his hand as everyone mourned the loss of Jackson Gibbs

I have been beside him every moment since I died, right beside him.

I will always be there for him, and I will always protect him until it's time for him to come and join me.


	8. Heaven

"Daddy?" Calls my six-year-old-daughter from her room, as I walk by it

"Yes, Princess?" I answer, as I peek my head in her door.

She looks up at me from her bed, where she's holding a book.

"What is Heaven?" she questions, innocently, her beautiful hazel eyes curious, as a few strands of her silky dark brown hair fall into her face. I stare for a moment in awe of how beautiful my daughter is, despite being only six and a half. She looks so much like her mother.

"Daddy?" She questions again.

I walk into her room, knowing this conversation will take longer than a five-word answer.

I smile ruefully at her as I sit down on her bed.

"Heaven is the most beautiful place ever. It is full of love, and happiness, and good people. When it is time for people to leave this world, and they've been good, they get to go there and live there, forever, helping and protecting those of us they left behind. There are flowers and butterflies, and candy and books and so many things to do and see. It is a magical place, up in the sky. God lives there and he cares for all the good people he brings there." I explain, to the best of my ability.

She cocks her head at me, giving me a small smile "Is that why my name is Heaven?" she asks

I smile "Partly. You were named for several things, Heaven Caitlin DiNozzo. Your middle name is for your Mom, and Heaven is partly because it was a way to acknowledge how close you came to going there, and thank the heavens you didn't."

She giggles "What do you mean Daddy?"

"You were born when your Mom was just 23 weeks pregnant. You should have been born when she was 40 weeks. You were so small, and you had to stay in the hospital for a long, long time. You were named Heaven because I was so thankful you didn't leave me and go to Heaven. Also, because you were my Heaven, because you are the most beautiful, kind, and perfect little girl on Heaven or earth."

That answer seems to satisfy her, and I'm grateful as it is the truth, but a G-rated version.

I give her a kiss on the cheek and she giggles, kissing me back.

As she does, I remember the day she was born, and the pain it came with.

 _"One down, no one in sight boss." I report through my earwig, as I peek over the ladder on the side of the warehouse, where we traced Ari's drone._

 _"Let's do it." Answers Gibbs_

 _I pull myself onto the roof, while Kate and Gibbs enter from the downstairs stairwell, and immediately two or three men start firing. I run across the roof in the direction that Kate and Gibbs are. I see a terrorist and take him out._

 _I keep running to find the man controlling the drone, and a put a few bullets in him, along with Gibbs who just came over a ridge to where I am._

 _I remove the gun from where it's positioned near the man,_

 _"Clear." I say_

 _Then Gibbs and I look at the drone controller, in semi-confusion._

 _"McGee! It's still flying!" yells Gibbs, talking through the earwig_

 _"I've gotten one frequency down, but I still have two to go." Responds McGee._

 _A moment later, he gives a slight cry and multiple bullet ricochets are heard. Gibbs and I look over the side of the building to see McGee taking cover toward the back end of the car, shooting at a terrorist in one of the windows in the building whose roof we're on._

 _McGee fires a few shots before he says "Boss! One of them shot my transmitter!"_

 _"You know how to fly this thing?" I ask Gibbs_

 _"Nope, but I know how to crash it." He says, stepping back and firing three bullets into our transmitter._

 _After we watch the drone crash, Gibbs leans over the roof wall, looking down at McGee._

 _"McGee? You okay?"_

 _"I got one terrorist inside. I don't know if I got him but he stopped shooting!"_

 _"Hold your position, we'll flush him." Answers Gibbs. Before he cocks his gun and then says "I'm out."_

 _"Me too." Agrees Kate_

 _"So am I." I say, checking my mag._

 _"Shooter!" yells Kate, running forward and throwing herself in front of Gibbs, as a gun goes off._

 _Gibbs and I immediately take down the shooter, before turning back to Kate, who's still on the ground._

 _Gibbs frantically unzips her jacket, to reveal the bullet didn't penetrate her vest. Her eyes flutter open and she grimaces._

 _"You okay?" I ask, my heart still pounding in my ears with fear_

 _"Ow." She groans "I just got shot, at point blank range, Tony. What do you think?"_

 _I smile slightly as she says this, reassuring her safety with her scathing remark_

 _"No palates tomorrow?" I chuckle, as I help her up_

 _"Protection detail is over Kate." Gibbs says when she gets steady in her feet._

 _"You did good." I compliment._

 _"For once, Dinozzo is right." Gibbs smirks_

 _Kate chuckles "Wow. I thought I would die before I ever heard-"_

 _With a boom, and an explosion of blood, Kate collapses on the concrete deck, a perfect circle of blood in the center of her forehead, eyes open, but seeing nothing, blood starting to pool around her head._

 _I feel her blood all over my face, and I look the direction the bullet came from. In the corner of my eye I see Gibbs, his gun raised._

 _"Ari." He whispers, and my throat clenches with fury, fear, and pain._

 _I kneel beside Kate, and though my brain registers that she couldn't have possibly survived the bullet, I shake her because I can't lose her._

 _Then something Kate told me, only a week ago, right after I had the plague comes to mind._

 _"We have to get her to the hospital!" cry, frantic as I heave her into my arms_

 _I feel Gibbs place his hand on my shoulder._

 _"She's gone, Tony." He whispers, sounding guilty and broken_

 _I stand, Kate's limp body in my arms, and turn to look at him._

 _"No she's not! I have to save her!" I yell, frantic_

 _"Kate's gone Tony. Let her go." Gibbs says, a bit more forcefully, but no less pain shows in his voice._

 _"I know Ari killed Kate, but I have to save her!" I turn and start running down through the warehouse, still clutching Kate._

 _I hear Gibbs following after me, but I don't hear what he's saying._

 _I run straight past McGee, who yells "What happened to Kate?"_

 _"Ari Sniped Kate." Gibbs says, dully, as he continues running after me, as I put Kate in the backseat, Gibbs jumps into the driver's seat._

 _"Tony, stop. It's over." Gibbs tries once more, as I open the shotgun door._

 _"Not for Heaven!" I cry, my voice breaking climbing into the passenger seat as McGee finally gets over his shock and tearfully climbs in the backseat, beside Kate._

 _"What the hell do you mean?" demands Gibbs, finally loosing his temper_

 _"Our piece of Heaven." I say, starting to sob, "Kate and I have been married for three years. Last week she told me she was pregnant. I have to save our daughter."_

 _Gibbs stamps on the pedal until it practically goes into the floor mat._

 _We speed to the hospital as I sob, uncontrollably._

 _When we arrive, Gibbs carries Kate as I follow, almost blind with tears as McGee leads me through the halls after Gibbs and the nurses._

 _Minutes after we arrive they begin an emergency Cesarean Section. I wait with dread in the waiting room with Gibbs and McGee. No one speaks._

 _"Dinozzo?" calls a nurse, and I race over to her as fast as I can._

 _"My Daughter?" I ask, hope clinging to every syllable of my question_

 _The nurse smiles "290 grams, and about ten inches, she's perfectly healthy, and stands a very good chance of surviving, but we'll need to keep her here in the Premie ICU for a couple of months."_

 _I break down again, in tears of joy._

 _"May I see her?" I manage_

 _The nurse nods, and leads me through the halls. Finally we get to this room, where in a glass cube, I see my tiny, sleeping beautiful baby girl._

 _I kneel beside the incubator and press my palms against the glass, staring at her._

 _I wipe my tears away, because I just know she's going to look like Kate._

 _I stare at her, as her name comes to me, easily._

 _"Stay strong, my beautiful. I know you will, if you're anything like your mother. I love you, Heaven Caitlin Dinozzo."_


	9. It's Just a Cold

Kate leaves the elevator just as I am walking by it and I smirk to see she's wiping her nose, looking tired, her eyes red.

"Did you spend the night Sake bombing last night Kate?" I ask

We turn into the bullpen "It's just a cold, Tony." She answers, rolling her eyes "Sake bombing?" she questions

"Come on Kate, don't tell me you've never heard of Sake bombing?" I ask, amazed

"Would I ask if-" she stops, putting her hands up "Forget it. I don't want to know."

"You take a cup of hot Sake, you toss it in a beer, you throw it back and kaboom." I explain

"Sake Bombing." She repeats

"Great for a cold." I add

"I'll stick to honey, and hot tea, thanks." She smirks, sitting at her desk

"McGee!" I call, looking for back up "Kate's never been Sake bombing"

"Yeah, I don't think I have either." he answers, confused

"I work with a pair of wankers." I sigh

"And you make three, Dinozzo." Gibbs says, as he walks in from behind me. "Morning."

"Morning." Kate responds, sounding very stuffy. Gibbs pauses as walks back to her.

"Cold or flu?" he asks

"It's just a cold." She quickly answers, "I promise I will sneeze only into my tissues. Unlike some people." She looks meaningfully at me.

"Hey!" I start to argue but Gibbs interrupts

"If you two are done, we have a body. Grab your gear."

Kate, McGee and I all grab our stuff and hurry into the elevator, where Kate starts coughing and hacking into her tissues. When she finishes, she heaves in air, wheezing slightly.

"You okay Kate?" double-checks Gibbs

"I'm fine Gibbs." She answers, weakly "It's just a cold."

We get to the crime scene half an hour later. It's 95 degrees out, and the warehouse where the Ensign was killed has no air conditioning.

"Kate, Dinozzo, take measurements and pictures. McGee, question the witness." Orders Gibbs.

Kate and I begin to wander, taking photos of the body, which has a very obvious bullet hole in the neck. About five minutes later Kate comes over, and we double-check our measurements.

"Ugh." She groans, wrapping her arms around her chest. "It's freezing." She mutters.

I look at her in shock. "Kate, it's like 95 degrees in here, and humid. Look how badly I'm sweating." I say, indicating to the sweat that stains the front of my shirt.

"No, it's like 30 degrees in here." She mutters, now starting to shiver

Uncharacteristic, genuine worry for Kate consumes me.

"Maybe you should let Ducky check you out." I say, lifting my hand to her forehead. She jerks away from me, glaring at me, but not before I feel that her head is burning up.

"I'm fine, Tony. It's just a cold." She snarls, before storming away.

Knowing she'll just get herself worked up if I follow her, I continue taking photos, until I hear her hacking and coughing again. I look over my shoulder to see her body shake with spasms from the force of the cough.

When she finishes, she is breathing very quickly, and shallowly, as if she can't take a deep breath.

Ignoring my brain telling me "Bad Idea" I walk over to her and take her arm

"Kate. We're going to the doctor. Now." I say, becoming more worried as I see that the tissues she just coughed into are slightly spotted red, with blood.

"Leave me alone! I'm fine." She snaps at me, twisting my hand painfully.

"Okay, okay!" I say, frantic to get her to stop  
She releases me and I head outside and to Gibbs, knowing he can knock some sense into her.

Gibbs is busy arguing with one of the LEO's about something, when I walk up behind him.

I pause, and wait as I catch the end of Gibbs' scolding

"-and do your job, am I understood Barnet?"

"Yes sir." Answers the young man, looking very much like he just wet himself, before the man hurries away.

Gibbs turns around and sees me. "What, Dinozzo?"

"It's Kate. I think she's sicker than she's letting on and she won't listen to me. She's freezing despite how hot it is, I felt her head for a second and it's clammy and on fire, she's unable to take a deep breath and coughing so forcefully she almost falls over with the force, and I thought I saw blood on her tissues last time she coughed into them" I explain, and Gibbs' eyes grow dark with worry.

"Where is she?"

"In the warehouse." I answer, and he takes off at a brisk jog over to it and inside, while I follow.

When we get inside, we find Kate on the ground.

I run over to her, and roll her onto her back, to find she's passed out, blood staining her lips, and shirt and arms, as a pool of blood lies next to her, where she was laying, as if she'd thrown it up and then passed out in it.

"Kate?" I ask frantically as Gibbs kneels down beside me.

I place my ear my her mouth "She not breathing!" I say, frantically

Pressing my lips to hers, and pinching her nose shut, and give her two puffs of air

I start doing compressions on her heart, as Gibbs calls 9-1-1.

I give her two more breaths, and I hear a shaky gasp as she starts to breathe again, but remains unconscious.

"Hang on Kate, just hang on." I say, as I wipe her hair from her face.

My brain registers the sound of sirens, coming closer. I scoop her into my arms and I don't think, I just run.

I hear Gibbs calling after me, but I don't listen. I run into the parking lot where the ambulance has arrived. The paramedics hop out, and bring the bed. I lay her on it, and climb in the back with them, and just before they shut the doors I yell to Gibbs

"Finish the job, it's what Kate would've wanted. I'll stay with her."

Gibbs looks at me, and I pray he'll follow my orders.

"Alright." He answers, turning away

The ambulance takes off, and we're the hospital minutes later.

They unload her, and I jog after them as they yell orders and codes at each other, running her from one room to another. I follow as I hear them talk, X-raying her lungs, putting her on a ventilator, sticking her with needles as they draw blood, and lung fluid. I watch as they study her X-rays, and set her up in her own hospital room. I sit beside her, in a very uncomfortable metal chair, and wait for the doctors to return with the results of the blood tests and X-rays. I stare at her pale face, thanking god that she's stable and breathing normally.

I go to her bathroom to splash some water on my face. When I do, I catch sight of myself in the mirror. I look like hell. My lips, right cheek, shirt arms and hands are crusted in her blood, from the CPR and carrying her. My hair is a mess and I look exhausted. I wash the blood off my face and arms, numb as I watch it run down the drain.

"Mr. Dinozzo?" calls a voice, and I walk back into Kate's room.

A nurse with flaming red hair stands there, a clipboard in her hands.

"Do you have the results?" I demand, immediately

"No, not quite yet. The doctor should be in soon with them soon. I just need you to fill out some information, since you are the emergency contact. My name is Brooke." She says, handing me a pen and the clipboard. "Are you and Ms. Todd-" she starts, but I interrupt her

"No, we're just friends, and partners at work." I explain, a half smile on my face.

She gives me a sexy smile, placing her hand on my arm, softly, and leaning in close.

"Well then, maybe sometime soon I could buy you a drink?" she whispers, seductively

I turn away from her, and put some distance between us.

"I'm really busy right now." I say, harshly,

"Fine." Snarls the nurse, storming away

I sit beside Kate and start to fill out the information needed on her.

A small smile makes its way on my face as I remember her face when she realized that I would be the best decision for her emergency contact, and the lack of enthusiasm she had when she told me all of her personal information. True to my word though, I never told a soul.

I finish the sheet, and get up and walk to the door to look for a nurse or doctor.

As I do, I nearly run into a black, kind-looking older nurse, who was just walking in the door.

"Oh! Excuse me!" she smiles brightly, and I immediately like her

"Hi! I was wondering, could you tell me who I could give this to?" I show her the sheet

"Oh! I'll take it for you. My name is Jackie. Is there anything else I can do for you?" She answers, taking the sheet

"Yes." I say, grateful someone around here is trying to help. "First, could you find something else for me to wear, could you find my friend's doctor for an update, and a red-haired nurse named Brooke tried to seduce me a little while ago and I don't find it amusing or considerate of her to try that when I am am trying to help my friend."

The woman's eyes widen, and her mouth is set in a firm frown. "I'll see to it the head Doctor knows what Brooke's been up to again. I'll find your doctor as soon as you can, and I'll send you a fresh nurse's shirt in a few minutes." She answers, before heading off.

I sit back down in my chair beside Kate. I take her hand and gently use my thumb to stroke the back of her hand.

Moments later, a male nurse appears in the doorway, a dark blue shirt with the hospital logo on it in his hand.

He hands it to me, and I thank him. I quickly change out of my blood-crusted shirt and into the soft shirt.

I hear my phone buzzing and answer it, as it is from Gibbs.

"Hey Boss. How's the case?" I ask when I pick up

"Nothing yet. Abby's running fingerprints, Bullistics, and tattoo analysis. Palmer and Ducky reassembled the body. McGee's digging up info about the man but nothing's come up yet. Except, Abby found a couple of strange marks on the body's stomach, neck, face, and chest, pink, red and purple smears. She's running chemical analysis."

That jogs my memory "Boss, have Abby run chemical analysis on the hips for residue from money."

" _What_?" demands Gibbs

"I'm pretty sure smears like those are lipstick. I think the petty Officer had a night job as a stripper. We were only a few miles from an area packed with strip clubs and the like."

"Nice job Dinozzo." I hear him cover the mouthpiece as his muffled voice came through, ordering McGee to tell Abby and do research on the strip clubs in the area.

"Dinozzo?" he asks when he uncovers the mouthpiece.

"Yeah?"

"How's Kate?"

"Still unconscious, but she's stable. The Doctor should be in any minute to give me an update."

"Call if her condition changes."

"Yes Boss."

"You're doing good Dinozzo." He compliments, before hanging up.

No sooner than I turn around, a blonde man in a doctor's coat appears.

"Are you Kate's doctor?" I ask, standing

He nods "I'm Dr. Brad Pitt, no relation to the actor."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Special Agent Tony Dinozzo, Kate's friend, work partner and Emergency contact." I introduce myself, shaking his hand

"Well, it appears Ms. Todd had an acute respiratory infection, which lead to pneumonia. You're lucky you brought her in when you did. We managed to break her fever, and drain her lungs of the fluid they began to fill with when they could no longer clean themselves out. Luckily it was a bacterial-based infection, so we've already administered antibiotics. Her body is healing quickly and she should wake within the next few hours, but we'll keep her here for a few days to monitor her condition. She shouldn't go back to work for at least two weeks."

A huge grin breaks out on my face at the good news "Thank you Doctor!"

"Your very welcome, Agent DiNozzo." He answers, before he leaves.

I sit down beside Kate and smile over at her

"See Katie, you're going to be just fine." I whisper

 **Two Hours Later**

"Tony?" I hear a soft voice call.

I open my eyes, which are filmy from uncomfortable sleep. I sit up straight, muscles in my back, neck and arms protesting.

"Tony?" I hear the voice again.  
My eyes follow where the voice came from and I look over to see Kate sitting up in bed, her hazel eyes looking at me in confusion.

I shoot to my feet, almost falling over as I smother her in a hug.

"Oof. Tony? What happened? Tony? Are you okay?" she manages to say as I hold tightly onto her

"Yeah I'm fine." I answer, "Why'd you ask?"

"Because you're giving me a really long actual hug." She answers, slight laughter in her voice.

I finally let go of her and sit on the side of her bed.

"I'm just so glad you're okay. You had us really worried there!" I explain "I went to tell Gibbs that you were sicker than 'just a cold' and when we came back you had thrown up a ton of blood, and passed out into it. Then you weren't breathing, which scared the shit out of me. I gave you CPR, and Gibbs called 911. I rode with you to the hospital, but I told Gibbs to get the job done. I've stayed here with you, while the rest of the team is working on the case."

Kate leans back onto the bed, in surprise. "You stayed with me?"

"Of course Kate! You're my partner, and as much as we bicker, you're still one of my best friends." I answer

She smiles "I'm glad that you stayed with me Tony. Even if you are a privacy-invaded womanizing jerk."

"Thank you, thank you very much." I bow, and she laughs "Next time, Katie, let's just assume it's not "Just a Cold" I suggest

She laughs, and I know we're in agreement


	10. Just Because

I yawn as I roll onto my side in bed, opening my eyes, sunshine streaming through the shades. I see a gold-colored note on the bed, with a single rose on it, where Tony usually sleeps. A grin spreads across my face as I roll over to my stomach, reading the note.

 **Morning, beautiful!**

 **You had been complaining of how tired you are and so I asked Gibbs to let you come in late today. You don't have to come in until two. Follow the petals for a special surprise.**

I grin as I grab the note and rose, following the rose petals down the halls of our house, and up to the useless attic. I open the door, to find he's transformed the space into an art studio. The windows are clean and bright, the view of the Potomac is lovely. He's bought new paints, drawing pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers, pens, as many art supplies as I could possibly want. On the walls, he's framed the work I've already done, even the cartoon of him drooling over a woman. I laugh when I see it. Walking over to the main desk, I see another note and another rose.

 **I hope you like your art studio! You always work on your drawings wherever you could, so I thought you'd like a special place just for your beautiful work. If you're hungry, I made pancakes for you. They're in the microwave if you want to heat them up.**

I take another moment to gaze around the room, before taking the new note and rose, heading down to the kitchen for breakfast. True to word, the plate of pancakes are in the oven and he even set the timer to the number I always heat things up to; 3:33. I eat the only thing Tony makes that is delicious, his pancakes. Everything else he makes normally is borderline inedible. By the time I finish breakfast, or lunch, it's 12:30. I head up to my bathroom to get dressed, when I find another note, and of course, rose.

 **I couldn't swing a spa day for you, because of Gibbs, but I figured this would at least be an attempt. The lighter is in the upper left drawer. The candles are all your favorite scents, peppermint and vanilla. The bath salts are vanilla-scented. I put your favorite George Winston album in the CD player, all you have to do is press play. Enjoy your bath!**

I grin as I start the bath, making it almost painfully hot, just the way I like it. I pour the bath salts in and light all the candles, and turn on the music. I turn out the main lights, and allow myself to relax in the bath, enjoying the beauty of how relaxing the smells, music and bath are.

When the water starts to turn cold, I get out and drain the tub. I wrap myself in my fluffy bathrobe, quickly blowing out all the candles, but I leave the music on. I go to the closet, and open it to find a beautiful new dress, with a note and rose pinned to it. The dress is a dark, royal blue. It is an old-fashioned type dress but very classy. It is a fit and flair that has a sweetheart neckline and a halter-top, with a silver sash. I see matching silver heels underneath the dress. Walking closer, I read the note.

 **I saw this the other day and thought of you immediately. Please wear it for me today! I can't wait to see you in it. I love you!**

I hurry and pull it on, the silky dress light and airy. I dry my hair and leave it in its natural waves. I do a light touch of makeup, before I leave for NCIS. I get there ten minutes later, and take the elevator up to the squad room.

When I walk in, the whole team is gone.

"Pacci, where's the team?" I ask the agent who sites behind my desk

"I think they're down in Abby's lab." He answers.

"Thanks." I say, walking to the back elevator and taking down to Abby's lab. I walk in and see Tony standing there, the entire team behind him.

"Hey Guys, what's going on?" I ask, walking in

Tony walks up to me, grinning

"What?" I ask

"Caitlin Rose Todd. Though from the moment we first met on Air Force One, we've bickered and gotten on each other's nerves, I wouldn't change a single thing. I love you more then anyone on this earth and you've done so much more than been my teammate and the love of my life. You've changed me for good, for better, and I will never be able to repay you for that, or show you just how much I love you for it, but please let me spend the rest of my life trying. Will you marry me?" asks Tony, getting down on one knee.

Tears are streaming down my face.

"Yes! Yes! Tony!" I answer, laughing through my tears. His grin becomes even brighter as he slides the ring onto my finger, stands and kisses me.

The team is cheering, and as soon as Tony and I step apart, Abby throws herself at me, squeezing me tight in a hug, before she throws herself at Tony, McGee gives me a hug, as does Ducky, while Gibbs gives me a kiss on the cheek.

It appears that Abby decided we should have a party afterwards, and had enough food and drinks for us all, playing some soft music in the background.

"So, Tony, thank you for such a wonderful build-up to the proposal." I say, kissing him quickly. He grins at me

"That was just because Katie, it had nothing do with all this." He gestures around him "All of that was just because I thought those were good ways to show you how much I love you." He kisses me

I giggle when I pull back "Well, I loved it, thank you." I wrap my arms around him and he holds me close. I close my eyes as I inhale Tony's scent, so thankful to be engaged to such a completely annoying, childish idiot whom despite his flaws will do anything for me, just because.


End file.
